Shoot, Coward, You’re Only Going to Kill a Manye!

In what can only be classified as one of the most legendary set of sentences ever said by a head of state, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa shouted in the face of his own police trying to kill him:

“If you want to kill the president, here he is! Kill me if you want to! Kill me if you are brave, instead of hiding in the crowd like cowards!”

Not bad for a guy with a PhD in Economics and who had spoken at the LSE a year earlier!

The Legend of Juha Strikes Again!

Readers will remember Juha for his analysis on the Marc Sageman’s lecture on political violence. Well, he’s back! This time he is explaining Iran’s foreign policy behavior. It’s a great post so take the time to read it. The HD only has two pedantic complaints: Juha using behaviour? LOLOUL! And by God(zilla), it’s time for a new mugshot! As you can see it is not the critic who counts, and Juha’s writings should propel him to the upper echelons of academia.

(Jump to Conclusions map from the Rand Corporation)

Further readings from the Rand Corporation on Iran: “Iran’s Political, Demographic, and Economic Vulnerabilities” (PDF here) and “Mullahs, Guards, and Bonyads: An Exploration of Iranian Leadership Dynamics” (PDF here).

Hey Rand, pay Juha top dollar!

A Lot of Action Next Week, A LOT OF ACTION!

Ambassador Nicholas Burns is speaking at the LSE on Tuesday the 13th at 6.30pm on the “Global Challenges for Europe and America” (so basically the global challenges for America… The HD kids, he kids, he just makes a little joke).

He is speaking again at the House of Commons the following day on “The U.S. Perspective on Afghanistan and Iran”. Both events are not to be missed! The HD will be rolling with his usual entourage so be sure to holler if you see us! As Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the State Department, Ambassador Burns was the third-ranking official after the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State.

ADDED: Be sure to skip lunch and catch Marc Sageman speaking (quote: “Afghanistan is not in our vital interest – there’s nothing for us there.”) on “Understanding Terror Networks- The Turn to Political Violence” at the House of Commons on Tuesday the 13th at 1pm! If you can’t skip lunch, read his book at your desk! The HD has been led to believe that Juha will be in attendance. His academic specialty is political violence so the HD looks forward to some festive questions!

Saif al-Islam Alqadhafi or Why the HD Should Have Brought his own Bodyguards to School

Tonight’s “lecture” brought out a star-studded cast of scholarly travelers and last Goliaths to the New Academic Building on the London School of Economics’ campus. Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s son extolled the virtues of Libyan democracy and even argued that Libya was the most democratic country in the world (in theory)! The HD has eaten cake that was richer than that.

However, the real action was outside (and inside before the talk) the lecture hall where brawling and constant shouting matches took place. Now the HD loves a festive argument as much as the next guy, but apparently a 57 year old man was roughed up outside during the talk. A close friend and colleague, the Ayatollah Grahambini, witnessed and recapped with this picture and these tweets here, here, and here.

In addition, via portable surveillance and tracking device (mobile phone), the HD received another eyewitness account from a most trusted source: “There are about 4 police vans and 12 police cars and at least two dozen officers outside the NAB…. Never seen so much security here. There’s only bout 9 protesters!”

Shocking times. But, if you are interested in democracy in the Middle East, the HD encourages you to read the best piece on the subject by the Doctor of Democracy himself, Professor Larry Diamond of Stanford University.

Coincidentally, the HD shared the same facial expression as the Colonel throughout much of his kid’s lecture. Anyway, be sure to check the event link in a few days time for the full audio/video as “podcasts are normally available 1-2 working days after the event”. However, for some reason the HD is willing to predict that either the LSE will not “receive permission from the speaker to do this” or there will be “technical problems with the recording of the event”.